


The Confession

by BarbWireThong



Series: The Courtship [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Korrasami - Freeform, Love Confessions, Romance, Turf wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26558380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbWireThong/pseuds/BarbWireThong
Summary: Korra has been fumbling for a way to show Asami how she feels before she finally realizes, the thing she really needs to do is to tell her.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Series: The Courtship [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906675
Comments: 5
Kudos: 106





	The Confession

For nearly three weeks now, Korra had dwelled on how close she came to losing her girlfriend.

Oh, there was plenty else going on. She was monitoring the new and tenuous, but still-holding truce that had been established at the Spirit Portal. She was helping Asami (or trying to help) as she continued to rebuild Republic City. She was also watching developments related to the upcoming presidential election with great interest.

But the thought of almost having lost Asami was drumming constantly in the back of her mind. It haunted her like the echoes of a distant storm or the crack in the wall that you stare at when you can’t sleep.

Even the mere _idea_ of not being with Sato created an ache she couldn’t get rid of.

It caused her to gaze at Asami at moments when she thought Asami wasn’t watching. (Sato was not so oblivious as to not notice. She would merely smile gently when it happened.)

Korra had also developed a keen need to be close to the engineer at all times. Yes, it was still true that the less platonic the gesture, the more likely it was that Asami had been the one to initiate it, but Korra was now fairly comfortable with the physical aspects of their relationship and felt she knew where their boundaries were.

At the same time, she was also very reluctant to admit how much she craved—to the point of needing—these tokens of affection, leading her to hide her desire through a series of fortunate “accidents.”

Asami not only let Korra get away with blaming gravity, or the crowds, or the sun getting in her eyes—even on a cloudy day; she encouraged it, helpfully pointing out the potential pitfalls the suddenly, inexplicably clumsy Avatar might face.

“Be careful. This hill looks slippery,” she would note. Or she might observe that a certain set of stairs was uneven, or mention that the sun was perhaps dangerously bright—even on a cloudy day.

If the pretense was obvious, it didn’t matter. If it was a ridiculously literal version of falling for someone, neither woman seemed to mind.

On one such occasion, Korra “stumbled” close enough to Sato to have grabbed her arm, and they continued to walk that way for a while. Eventually, Asami asked, “So what are you doing for the election tomorrow night?”

“I don’t have any plans as of now. Why?”

Sato explained that Zhu Li Moon was hosting a party at the Four Elements Hotel Ballroom. “And I’d love for you to be my date,” she said.

Korra raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”

Asami stopped walking, forcing the Avatar to do the same. “Your Dad is going to be there representing the Southern Water Tribe. You know how I feel, but he—uh—didn’t seem to like the idea of us being together publicly.”

Looking into the kindness and care of the green eyes examining her, Korra knew that Asami was reassuring her that no answer she could give would be the wrong one. The softness with which she regarded her only animated the monster that had been stalking Korra for days.

She recalled seeing Tokuga holding Asami hostage and Asami gasping for breath in a gas cloud. Worse, she had been targeted _because_ the gang leader had known they were dating.

There were also the objections of her father. Add to that the occasional bigotry they had faced, even after having saved the city—again. Korra wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t realize that in those rare moments when she and Asami had been able to relax recently, some people had regarded them with a barely concealed seething. Bunch of jerkbenders, obviously. Who needed them? But they did have the potential to make things…difficult.

All those doubts and all those fears disappeared with a squeeze from Asami’s hand.

“I don’t think I could hide how I feel about you if I wanted to,” said Korra quietly. “And I don’t particularly want to.”

Sato smiled at her.

“Then don’t,” she answered and gave her a light kiss.

That night, Korra was lying in her bed on Air Temple Island replaying the conversation. It was better than thinking about the what-ifs she had been torturing herself with for days.

_I don’t think I could hide how I feel about you if I wanted to._

Was that true, though? Korra hadn’t admitted all her recent worries to Asami. She hadn’t told her that her love for the engineer had become simultaneously the one thing that scared her and comforted her the most.

Wait.

_Love?_

Korra considered it.

_Yes. Love._

There was no denying it any longer. She had actually fallen for Asami Sato.

“Even with as fast as you drive, we’re going to be late!” Korra called out. One of the Sato servants had allowed her into the mansion, and she was sitting on the bed in Asami’s room waiting for her girlfriend to finish getting ready.

“Just one more minute,” responded Asami from behind the bathroom door.

It was more like two minutes, but Sato did emerge, and Korra instantly conceded the wait had been worth it.

She wore a red dress (of course) that hugged her just right (of course) and that looked elegant and regal (of course, of course).

Ironically, for as much as her attire had been exactly what Korra expected, she also half-wondered if Asami might be part spirit, causing her to able to alter her appearance somehow. How else to explain that she looked more and more beautiful every time Korra saw her?

Then Korra realized, it was because she had stopped looking at Asami with merely her eyes.

Mulling over this distracted her, and when she stood up to greet Sato she actually tripped. _Really_ tripped and pitched forward right into Asami’s arms, who obligingly caught her, not realizing this wasn’t part of Korra’s ruse.

“I take it this means you approve?” she asked with a laugh.

“Sami, I lo…Iove…it. I love this outfit,” stammered Korra. “It looks gorgeous. And your hair, and your jewelry, and…Spirits, Asami.”

It didn’t seem possible to Korra that there was any accessory Sato could add that would improve upon her beauty, but then she smiled at Korra’s words, and it flustered the Southern Tribeswoman even more.

“ _Spirits_.”

“You’re looking pretty gorgeous yourself, Avatar,” Asami purred, moving back so that she could observe Korra at a distance, but not removing her hands from her upper arms. 

It took a second for Korra to realize that Sato was rolling the muscles of her biceps under her hands and a second more to see that a blush had risen to her face. The knowledge that Asami was as discomposed as she was (even if she was _much_ better at hiding it) set her at ease at bit.

“Well,” Asami cleared her throat. “Like you said, we’re going to be late.”

They were indeed running behind. By the time they had reached the Four Elements, Varrick was making a presentation about Zhu Li’s campaign. A radio program discussing the election results was airing nearby.

This wasn’t precisely Korra’s scene. She liked helping people, and to her mind, schmoozing and glad-handing never seemed to accomplish much. Plus, gatherings like these usually attracted rich and powerful people They wanted much from the Avatar, but didn’t need her like the poor and downtrodden did.

Fortunately, Zhu Li was a slightly different politician, so while the crème de le crème of Republic City had indeed made their way inside, so had a lot of people Korra cared about.

None more so than the woman holding on to her arm.

Now, as a tribute to the engineer, Korra had come up with a plan. She was definitely going to tell Asami how she felt about her tonight…True to her own nature, though, that was the only detail of the plan she had worked out. 

Asami kept nodding her greetings to people as they walked around, and Korra told the businesswoman that she shouldn’t miss this opportunity to network.

“But this is our date,” Asami protested.

“Another attempt at one, anyway,” chuckled Korra.

Asami had been kidnapped before their first, first date. A clash between rival gangs had interrupted their second try. There hadn’t been enough free time since then for them to take another shot at it. “At this point, we’re going to get married before we ever get a chance to go out!” Korra joked, before it suddenly struck her what she had said. “Oh!”

Unruffled, Sato agreed that the weren’t exactly a traditional couple. “We went away together before our first kiss, too. Are you sure it’s okay if I mingle?”

Korra kissed her on the cheek. “Go,” she instructed, and though Asami did, in some ways she never left Korra’s side. She would turn every now and then to check on her, and Korra would inevitably be watching and grin in response. Even as she was warmly conversing with the area’s elite, Sato’s mind was clearly on the Southern Tribeswoman, who was never far away.

Monitoring her girlfriend as she was, Korra was not as aware of her surroundings as she normally was. However, it was impossible not to sense the presence of the large man who had walked up beside her.

“So, uh, where’s Asami? How are you two doing?” asked Tonraq of his daughter.

It sounded like he wanted to reconcile. However, Korra was still a little upset about how he had made her and Asami feel.

“I thought you didn’t want me to talk about my personal life.”

It was not easy for a proud man like Tonraq to apologize. Still, he was obviously very sorry.

“About what I said when you and Asami came to visit…” he started.

“It’s all right, Dad,” interrupted Korra, feeling a little guilty over how snide she had been moments before. “I know the Water Tribe has its customs.”

“Yes, but I don’t want them to dictate how I talk to my own daughter. I don’t need to tell you, our traditions can be a bit…emotionally stifling.”

Korra appreciated this more than her father knew. “Yeah, I’m beginning to realize that,” she said admiring Asami from across the room.

“And I want you to know, you and Asami have my support—no matter what,” her father continued.

Finally turning her attention fully to Tonraq, Korra wrapped him in a hug. “Thanks, Dad,” she murmured into his shoulder.

Just then, Asami rejoined her. Being this close again gave Korra an overwhelming desire to share with Sato all the emotions she had kept bottled up. “Can we talk?” pleaded Korra.

“In a minute,” Asami said excitedly, “The results are in! They’re about to make the announcement!”

There was a loud round of applause as Zhu Li was named the next president. Everyone gathered in front of the stage to listen to Moon’s victory speech, but Korra couldn’t concentrate. She only vaguely registered when Zhu Li announced that she was putting the land near the Spirit Portal under the protection of the Air Nation.

It was shortly after that that she started pulling on Asami’s hand. “Follow me,” she entreated, leading Sato outside.

“What are we doing out here?” Asami wondered. “The speech isn’t over.”

Korra now took both Asami’s hands in her own.

“I’ve been afraid to say something, but I can’t keep it to myself any longer,” she confessed, prompting, if not a worried, at least a serious expression from Sato.

Korra thought for a second about making a speech of her own, of finding flowery language to explain the tumult in her currently thundering heart the past few weeks. No. Make it longer than that. Maybe she should try to put words to _why_ she felt the way she did? She could list Asami’s finer qualities. She could narrate their history…There were a lot of things she could say, but only one thing that could sum up everything she wanted to convey.

“I love you, Asami.”

Sato intertwined the fingers of one hand with Korra’s, and then drew her closer by wrapping her other arm around her waist. Bringing their foreheads together, she breathed, “I love you, too.”

There was no need for Korra to fall into this embrace. She'd been tumbling all along.

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to post something for Korrasami Week. It was the only way I could think of to thank all the Korrasami fans who have unknowingly rescued me from a bad day with a comment or kudos, or make a good day better with a bookmark or even an email. (I'm at BarbWireThong@gmail.com.)
> 
> Plus, writing Korrasami content is a bit therapeutic for me, and it's been a stressful few weeks. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you so very much for taking the time to read this. Thank you even more if you took the additional time to interact with this piece in some way. 
> 
> Oh, and this series will obviously continue. These ladies have to be able to go on a first date *sometime.*


End file.
